Dragon Striker
Detailed Ratings
Plot 4.0/5
Characters 5.0/5
Animation 4.0/5
Soundtrack 5.0/5

Dragon Striker

Animated Series 1 season
ComposerKevin Penkin
+2
Balance
+2 -0
Score weighted by each hero's level: a recommendation from a level 3 hero counts for 3.
5.0/5
1
Reviews
Ranking among anime: #15 Adventure
Tome
From the editors, by Tome Updated on 04/09/2026

Animated in France, scored in Japan

More than a decade of production went into a first season of eleven episodes, released all at once on Disney XD in June 2026. Co-creators Sylvain Dos Santos and Charles Lefebvre invented the sport, the school and the magic system, then handed the score to Kevin Penkin. Penkin wrote the music for Made in Abyss and Tower of God, and he recorded this one in Japan with an eighty-piece orchestra.

La Chouette Compagnie, the French studio behind the animation, keeps the characters in crisp 2D and sets them against backgrounds with far more depth. When the first animation passes disappointed, the team made compositing its main tool, and dust particles, light rays and heavy shadows became the visual identity of the show. Dos Santos and Lefebvre name Final Fantasy, Naruto and Visions of Escaflowne among their references.

The Story

Key Nagatatsu is twelve, lives on a farm, and wants to play gorotama at Kal Asterock, the school that teaches it. The game is close to soccer, except every player also fights with a tama, a personal magical power. Key shows up without one, and the gift he later reveals traces back to his late mother, a champion remembered as the Dragon Striker.

Nothing here adapts a manga, a game or a comic: the world, the sport and its rules were written for the screen. Disney has already renewed the show for a second season of the same length, due in early 2027.

The Ideal Audience

The rating is TV-Y7, and parental guidance sits around eight and up: fantasy violence during matches, some peril outside them, put-downs rather than profanity. Younger viewers get a school-team story, and older ones get a children's sports show scored like a film. We would hand it to a young viewer curious about anime and unsure where to start.

+2
Balance
+2 -0
Score weighted by each hero's level: a recommendation from a level 3 hero counts for 3.
5.0/5
1
Reviews
Ranking among anime: #15 Adventure
Detailed Ratings
Plot 4.0/5
Characters 5.0/5
Animation 4.0/5
Soundtrack 5.0/5
Tome
From the editors, by Tome Updated on 04/09/2026

Animated in France, scored in Japan

More than a decade of production went into a first season of eleven episodes, released all at once on Disney XD in June 2026. Co-creators Sylvain Dos Santos and Charles Lefebvre invented the sport, the school and the magic system, then handed the score to Kevin Penkin. Penkin wrote the music for Made in Abyss and Tower of God, and he recorded this one in Japan with an eighty-piece orchestra.

La Chouette Compagnie, the French studio behind the animation, keeps the characters in crisp 2D and sets them against backgrounds with far more depth. When the first animation passes disappointed, the team made compositing its main tool, and dust particles, light rays and heavy shadows became the visual identity of the show. Dos Santos and Lefebvre name Final Fantasy, Naruto and Visions of Escaflowne among their references.

The Story

Key Nagatatsu is twelve, lives on a farm, and wants to play gorotama at Kal Asterock, the school that teaches it. The game is close to soccer, except every player also fights with a tama, a personal magical power. Key shows up without one, and the gift he later reveals traces back to his late mother, a champion remembered as the Dragon Striker.

Nothing here adapts a manga, a game or a comic: the world, the sport and its rules were written for the screen. Disney has already renewed the show for a second season of the same length, due in early 2027.

The Ideal Audience

The rating is TV-Y7, and parental guidance sits around eight and up: fantasy violence during matches, some peril outside them, put-downs rather than profanity. Younger viewers get a school-team story, and older ones get a children's sports show scored like a film. We would hand it to a young viewer curious about anime and unsure where to start.

Status: Ongoing
Publication: 2026 - Present
Country of origin: United States, France
Original language: English
Age rating: All Ages
Genres: Fantasy Adventure Sports

Reviews

lemonalyn

It's Got Dragons. Need I Say More?

Absolutely a must watch. At the time of writing this, there are only eleven episodes released, but they’re packed with so much character, heart, and story that I’m already fully invested. Key Nagatastu is a loveable, if at times exasperating, protagonist. The relationships he builds with other characters like Ssyelle and Odward are just fascinating, and the story that slowly unfolds concerning the dragon he shares with his late mother carries the season and frames everything else in a different light once the true circumstances of her passing are revealed. So far as the score goes, it is superb, fully utilizing its 80-piece orchestra, and the animation is just beautiful. If I have to complain about one thing, it’s that the pacing reads a bit too fast. By the end of the season, we’ve gotten a lot of story, but it feels like the world/characters haven’t had enough time to breathe. I also think the series would lend better to releasing its episodes weekly as opposed to the all-at-once streaming model. But on the whole, it’s an enjoyable show, and I would absolutely recommend it to fans of shows such as the Owl House, Amphibia, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Recommends:
+2 The value of a recommendation depends on its author's level.
Overall
Plot
Characters
Animation
Soundtrack
13
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